Management &
Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) Education Review 588
Definition
Goal
Common POCT tests
Regulations
Optimal staffing
Considerations
Testing performed at site of patient care. Also known as decentralized, bedside, or near-patient testing.
Provide rapid test results where immediate medical action is required, e.g., emergency department, intensive
care units.
Urine reagent strips, glucose, electrolytes, blood gases, activated clotting time (ACT), PT, APTT, hemoglobin.
Determined by test complexity. May operate under clinical laboratory’s CLIA certificate or separate CLIA
certificate.
Director: MLS or pathologist responsible for administrative, financial, & technical decisions.
Point-of-Care Coordinator (POCC): Oversees testing & responsible for compliance, training, QC, proficiency
testing (if required).
Designated contact/trainer at each testing site: Liaison between POCC & testing personnel, assists with
training/competency assessment.
Testing personnel: Qualifications determined by test complexity of testing. Usually phlebotomists, lab
assistants, nurses, respiratory therapists.
Cost, performance specifications, ease of use, turnaround time, impact on quality & cost of patient care, data
management/connectivity/interface capabilities.
